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Getting Interactive with Authorware: Building Simulations & Games

Copyright 1999 Lloyd Rieber

• Chapter 1 - Slide Show: Authorware as a presentation tool
  A great little example that demonstrates how to use Authorware as a flexible and easy-to-use presentation tool; meant as a fast introduction to Authorware. The chapter ends with a quick overview of Knowledge Objects.
  
• Chapter 2 - Basketball Camp
  A simple animated simulation of one of the fundamental rules of basketball defense: keep yourself between the ball and the basket! Good introduction to the use of data-driven animation. The chapter ends by showing how to use the slide bar Knowledge Object to add interactivity to the simulation.
  
• Chapter 3 - Mystery Number
  A "guess the number" math game built with data-driven animation. (Remember playing the 'hot/cold' game as a kid?)
  
• Chapter 4 - Space Shuttle Commander
  A simulation of Newton's laws of motion appropriate for children as young as 10; pretend you are piloting the space shuttle!
  
• Chapter 5 - Amazing Mazes
  A template for games that use mazes; players have to answer questions to proceed past numerous gates.
  
• Chapter 6 - How'd they do that!
  A collection of various interactive features you might like to have in your software. Examples:
  
  -Allowing the user to turn the program's sound on and off;
  -Rotating screen objects by importing and manipulating BMP sequences as internal digital movies;
  -Building a "click and hold" interaction response type (to control a QuickTime or AVI movie);
  -Building 'response palettes' that users can move freely around the screen;
  -Creating "slide bars" that control data functions;
  -How to save a program's data in a format that can be opened and analyzed by a spreadsheet.
  
• Appendices
  Brief summaries and quickstart instructions on each of the following topics:
  
  Appendix A: Packaging
  Appendix B: Libraries
  Appendix C: Jumping to other files and applications
  Appendix D: Compacting, printing, memory, and cross-platform issues
  Appendix E: Shocking files for use over the internet
  Appendix F: Copyright issues

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